Threat of Zika virus looms in Asia

Health officials are monitoring hundreds of new Zika infections in Asia to determine whether the mosquito-borne virus could cause the same birth defects and other disorders linked to an outbreak in Latin America

HOW ZIKA HAS SPREAD AROUND WORLD

Virus transmitted to people primarily through biteof infected Aedes species mosquito

Cape Verde
Maldives
Singapore
Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Tucumán, Argentina
Florida,
U.S.

Locally transmitted Zika cases in past 9 months

71 countries and territories (as of Nov 17)

1947: African strain of virus firstdiscovered in Uganda’s Zika forest

1960s-1980s: Asian strain expandsacross band of countries, includingIndia, Malaysia and Indonesia

2007: First large Zika outbreak inhumans on Micronesia’s Yap Island

2013: Link suspected between Zikaand birth defects during outbreak inFrench Polynesia

2015: Asian Zika hits Brazil. Virusassociated with surge in neurologicaldisorders and microcephaly –abnormally small heads – amongnewborn babies. Zika spreads quicklyacross Latin America and Caribbean.First cases reported in Cape Verde

Jun 2016: Zika infections spreadinto Southeast Asia. Thailand andSingapore worst affected

Sep 1: Virus in Guinea-Bissaulinked to African strain. Five cases ofmicrocephaly under investigation

Sep 14: Malaysia identifies twoAsian strains – one local and one fromAmericas – suggesting both could becirculating in some countries

Sep 30: Thailand confirms twocases of Zika-linked microcephaly

Oct 30: Third microcephaly casebeing investigated in Vietnam, wherethere are no reports of imported Zika.Link to virus would suggest localstrain could cause birth defects

Sources: WHO, ECDC, wire agencies
Picture: Associated Press